detox

Nutritious is delicious, healthy is tasty, is that possible? Yes! here in this century old luxurious Italian Palace Merano it is. Its here, that for the first time ever that I have the most flavorful detox biryani and the most relaxing, stretching yoga-massage. Over the decades, the super-luxurious Palace Merano has been magnetizing global royalty to sportsmen, the super-stylish fashionistas to the those in need of healing…it also has a huge share of the well-known Indian clients too.

Here in this high ceilinged chandeleried palace in the picturesque spa town of Merano my physical and mental well-being is being harmonized to peak levels. My energy channels are being reactivated and detoxified with exclusive techniques. And here’s the best part, the food is a masterpiece of art and taste, it blitzes my tastebuds and yet is calorie controlled and vegan. Henri Chenot’s biontology, a scientific discipline that combines Chinese systems with the Western ones is working magic. As do Dominique Chenot’s detox and biolight diets based on flavor, taste and the 5 elements of Chinese medicine. Its an absolute delight to meet both the charming and dynamic pioneering health gurus behind this… and to get an insight into “biontology” and the principles of healthy eating. It’s been my life-time search, through my 15 years of weekly columns on health and TV shows to find out how to and what to eat to continue to enjoy great health. After all I don’t “eat to live” I “live to eat” and eat for a living too. Im here, getting my answers. Time to rejuvenate, celebrate…

P.S. Should you need Chenot recipes I can mail them to you, or you can download them from Amazon.

Surprises ahead! I confess, I am very surprised myself too. Here I am, a regular at the haute temples of gastronomy, a worshipper at the masterly great restaurants of the world. I preside over several global jurys for awarding great restaurants and having eaten my way through 34 food books would go to the ends of the world for sublime food that has the firm grasp of the art and science of cooking. And here I am actually admiring and going over the moon for food that is not even cooked, but is mostly raw (you read that right). And yet it seduces not only my tastebuds but also my eyes. And heres the bonus: it is bursting with energy and goodness and not only kickstarts my system into high energy but also calms my mind and makes me smile.

Welcome to paradise! Here sense-pampering is in erotic union with holistic health, here taste and flavor burst with nutrition and healing. It is from here that I’m mailing you this great news

PICTURE PERFECT

Please take a look at the accompanying photograph that I just shot. Before I tell you more about it, all I can say is that if it had a video track you’d be able to hear the peacocks (they preen all over the 50 hectares of lush land) the chirping birds, the soft breeze. But what you can see is the ever-smiling chef Lucrecia Buking holding up the most delicious “Beet Canneloni“ and pecan dessert . The dapper Michael di Lonardo who helms The Farm in San Benito (its two hours away from Manila) smiles with Mishi ( his Lhasa Apso mix from Lonavala). Actually Michael being a brilliant chef himself (having worked with great chefs in Los Angeles and had the Hollywood stars eating out of his hands) also has plenty to do with the gourmet fare here. He is also driven by the conviction that “the farmer is the star’ and it’s the “quality of the soil and the organic produce that make great food”. Having worked three years in India (and loved it) Michael feels very strongly that “India should go against genetically modified food and Monsanto.”

And so here at this holistic healing and wellness mecca where mind, body and spirit get balanced, all the vegetables are organically grown within the Farm area. As are all the healing herbs. So much so that even the virgin coconut oil, the coconut water we drink is all from their own plantations. “From the farm to the table” is a delicious visible reality here. And creating amazing dishes is the chef and her team.

LIVING PROOF

She was detected with third stage breast cancer three years ago and given six months to live. Today, Chef Lucrecia is not only fit and healthy but also weaving magic in the kitchen. She herself is living proof of the principles The Farm is rooted in, that all health stems from the gut and looking after and nurturing it with live foods will restore harmony and health.

Having learnt the fundamentals from the Living lights culinary arts school in San Francisco, she ensures that more than 85% of her food is raw (grains are soaked, seeds are sprouted, vegetables soaked in apple cider vinegar) and even the rest is very lightly cooked. “Raw food preserves the antioxidants and nutrients” she points out. no oil. No cooking, no sugar, no preservatives and yet bursting with taste and variety and color and flavor. Gastronomy redefined.

P.S. Theres plenty more to The Farm than this life giving cuisine, detoxing and recharging…I’m still here but already planning my next visit…saving up all my earnings (like I did for this time too)… it’s the best investment ever.

BOX

THE FARMS RECIPE

Try it. Its so simple, just chopping, slicing, soaking, mixing, processing and assembling. A visual and tasty and nutritional treat.

Put all these ingredients (except dill) in a blender until creamy. Add water if needed. You can use this sauce on any dish.

METHOD:

Slice and Marinate the red beet and set it aside. For the “cheese” put in a food Processer all the ingredients for the cheese. Keep “cheese” for a few hours before filling the beet slices with the “ almond cheese” and asparagus. Roll it up. Drizzle with cashew sauce. Enjoy